RB Elliott out with wrist injury

By TIM MAY

The overall health of a college football team in preseason camp really varies from practice to practice, and so it is for Ohio State. For today it was learned that No.1 running back Ezekiel Elliott suffered an unspecified wrist injury on Friday, underwent surgery this morning to help hasten the healing, and is expected back to practice late next week.

“He is doing great,” his father Stacy Elliott messaged The Dispatch at mid-day.

Ezekiel Elliott of course was not at the morning practice on the first two-a-day session of this preseason for the Buckeyes.

What his situation does to the pecking order at running back remains to be seen. The media only was allowed to watch and take pictures during the first four periods of the 20-plus periods practice, which was before the serious football part started.

But since camp started the coaches have been talking highly of speedy freshman running back Curtis Samuel. He enrolled in time to take part in spring drills and has been on the rise ever since.

Add to that what appears to be the camp surge of senior Rod Smith. The senior has been running strong, both when the media has been able to watch and when things have been closed. He also had some highlight runs in the video the team released of their practice on Friday.

Meanwhile, the coaches continue the plan to bring fourth-year starting quarterback Braxton Miller along carefully in preseason after he underwent surgery on his right throwing shoulder in late winter. While the other QBs took part in drills on the field in the early part of practice today, he was tossing the football on the side with wide receiver Devin Smith, who also appeared headed into limited action in the session.